When I speak to colleges, businesses or leadership organizations about PR strategy, I reference my grandfather's wisdom. As an entrepreneur, he never wasted resources. He used to say, "careful preparation leads to great execution so always measure twice, cut once."

On a daily basis, my team is approached by businesses who've had bad experiences with PR. After a bit of inquiry, we usually find these businesses engaged in PR services without having first established clear, measurable goals. Their results reflect that lack of vision. While I hate hearing these campaign horror stories, I’m glad to help these businesses cultivate and refine their profiles, messaging, and goals.

So, getting back to my grandfather and how his wisdom relates to my daily business. We take "measure twice" to mean: do your homework. Every PR professional should know what makes a client unique.

The publicist should mine for angles, draft powerful, thought-provoking narratives and research the very best journalists and outlets to help share those specific narratives.The second half of my grandfather's quote is, "cut once."

If you have a great story that runs before or after your campaign's impact window, then you've failed to maximize a great opportunity. Sometimes you only get one shot to make a pitch so think about timing when you're asking for placement.

Here's an example of a well-timed article that clearly articulates our client’s brand.Kim Kelly of Vice/Noisey (follow her if you don't already) wrote an outstanding article on Angaleena Presley's new 'Wrangled' album. Kim really "gets" great artistry so we knew she would appreciate Angaleena's music, lyrics, production style and the album's powerful social commentary.

We offered Kim an exclusive song to stream — a shareable bonus for her readers — and a presale link to the album giving readers a chance to transact immediately.

The result was a story that accurately reflects the artist’s brand, image, and message, with immediate, measurable results we pulled by tracking social media traffic and impressive digital streaming and sales spikes.

Here’s a link to the article: https://noisey.vice.com/en_us/article/angaleena-presley-doesnt-need-nashville-but-nashville-needs-angaleena-presley?utm_source=noiseytwitterus

For more PR tips, or to find out about our PR and Marketing services, contact Jackie Marushka at Jackie@MarushkaMedia.com